diff --git a/src/components/NoteList/index.tsx b/src/components/NoteList/index.tsx
index 4243f3df..434829bf 100644
--- a/src/components/NoteList/index.tsx
+++ b/src/components/NoteList/index.tsx
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import { prefetchAuthorNip30EmojisForPubkeys } from '@/lib/nip30-author-emojis'
 import { shouldFilterEvent } from '@/lib/event-filtering'
 import {
   isRelayUrlStrictSupersetIdentityKey,
+  isSpellSubRequestsFilterSuperset,
   isSpellSubRequestsSameFiltersDifferentRelays
 } from '@/lib/spell-feed-request-identity'
 import logger from '@/lib/logger'
@@ -748,6 +749,12 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
        * Use a larger value for slow feeds (e.g. notifications `#p` across many relays).
        */
       timelineLoadingSafetyTimeoutMs,
+      /**
+       * When true, live `onNew` events merge into the visible timeline immediately (home feed behavior).
+       * Default false on Spells faux feeds: new rows go to {@link NewNotesButton} until the user scrolls near the top.
+       * Enable for notifications so mentions/replies appear without tapping “Show n new notes”.
+       */
+      mergeLiveEventsImmediately = false,
       /**
        * With {@link useFilterAsIs}: omit relay `kinds` when the subrequest filter has none. Kindless relay feeds
        * merge the full batch; {@link withKindFilter} + {@link showAllKinds} control whether {@link showKinds}
@@ -865,6 +872,7 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
       spellFeedInstrumentToken?: number
       onSpellFeedFirstPaint?: (detail: { eventCount: number; firstEventId: string }) => void
       timelineLoadingSafetyTimeoutMs?: number
+      mergeLiveEventsImmediately?: boolean
       clientSideKindFilter?: boolean
       oneShotFetch?: boolean
       oneShotMergedCap?: number
@@ -1333,6 +1341,8 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
     withKindFilterRef.current = withKindFilter
     const hostPrimaryPageNameRef = useRef(hostPrimaryPageName)
     hostPrimaryPageNameRef.current = hostPrimaryPageName
+    const mergeLiveEventsImmediatelyRef = useRef(mergeLiveEventsImmediately)
+    mergeLiveEventsImmediatelyRef.current = mergeLiveEventsImmediately
     const gridLayoutRef = useRef(gridLayout)
     gridLayoutRef.current = gridLayout
 
@@ -1444,6 +1454,61 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
       shouldHideEventRef.current = shouldHideEvent
     }, [shouldHideEvent])
 
+    /** Paint the author's own publishes into the open feed without waiting for relay echo or "new notes". */
+    useEffect(() => {
+      const onOwnPublish = (data: globalThis.Event) => {
+        const evt = (data as CustomEvent<Event>).detail
+        if (!evt?.id || !pubkey || evt.pubkey !== pubkey) return
+        if (shouldHideEventRef.current(evt)) return
+
+        const mapped = stripNostrLandAggrFromTimelineSubRequests(
+          feedSubscriptionKey,
+          mapLiveSubRequestsForTimelineRef.current(subRequestsRef.current)
+        ).filter((req) => req.urls.length > 0)
+        if (mapped.length === 0) return
+        if (
+          !mapped.some(({ filter }) =>
+            eventMatchesSubRequestFilterWithWindow(evt, filter as Filter)
+          )
+        ) {
+          return
+        }
+
+        const narrowed = narrowLiveBatchUsingRefs([evt])
+        if (narrowed.length === 0) return
+
+        if (eventsRef.current.some((e) => e.id === evt.id)) return
+
+        const cap = allowKindlessRelayExplore
+          ? RELAY_EXPLORE_LIMIT
+          : areAlgoRelays
+            ? ALGO_LIMIT
+            : LIMIT
+        setEvents((oldEvents) => {
+          if (oldEvents.some((e) => e.id === evt.id)) return oldEvents
+          const next = collapseDuplicateNip18RepostTimelineRows(
+            mergeEventBatchesById(oldEvents, narrowed, cap, areAlgoRelays)
+          )
+          lastEventsForTimelinePrefetchRef.current = next
+          return next
+        })
+        setNewEvents((pending) => pending.filter((e) => e.id !== evt.id))
+        setLoading(false)
+        client.prefetchEmbeddedEventsForParents(narrowed, {
+          relayHintsOnly: relayAuthoritativeFeedOnlyRef.current
+        })
+      }
+
+      client.addEventListener('newEvent', onOwnPublish)
+      return () => client.removeEventListener('newEvent', onOwnPublish)
+    }, [
+      pubkey,
+      feedSubscriptionKey,
+      allowKindlessRelayExplore,
+      areAlgoRelays,
+      shouldHideEvent
+    ])
+
     const { items: filteredEvents, bufferExhaustedForVisibleQuota } = useMemo(() => {
       const idSet = new Set<string>()
       const out: Event[] = []
@@ -2256,7 +2321,8 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
         !feedScopeChanged &&
         prevSubKey != null &&
         (isRelayUrlStrictSupersetIdentityKey(prevSubKey, subRequestsKey) ||
-          isSpellSubRequestsSameFiltersDifferentRelays(prevSubKey, subRequestsKey))
+          isSpellSubRequestsSameFiltersDifferentRelays(prevSubKey, subRequestsKey) ||
+          isSpellSubRequestsFilterSuperset(prevSubKey, subRequestsKey))
 
       const keepExistingTimelineEvents =
         preserveTimelineOnSubRequestsChange &&
@@ -2266,7 +2332,8 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
         (prevSubKey === subRequestsKey ||
           isRelayUrlStrictSupersetIdentityKey(prevSubKey, subRequestsKey) ||
           (mergeTimelineWhenSubRequestFiltersMatch &&
-            isSpellSubRequestsSameFiltersDifferentRelays(prevSubKey, subRequestsKey)))
+            (isSpellSubRequestsSameFiltersDifferentRelays(prevSubKey, subRequestsKey) ||
+              isSpellSubRequestsFilterSuperset(prevSubKey, subRequestsKey))))
       prevSubRequestsKeyForTimelineRef.current = subRequestsKey
 
       /** False after cleanup so stale timeline callbacks cannot overwrite state after switching feeds (e.g. Spells discussions → notifications). */
@@ -3516,12 +3583,15 @@ const NoteList = forwardRef(
                 }
               }
               if (shouldHideEventRef.current(event)) return
+              const isOwnPublish = Boolean(pubkey && event.pubkey === pubkey)
               const route: 'profile' | 'home' | 'pending' =
-                (pubkey && event.pubkey === pubkey) || eventMatchesProfileTimelineRequest(event)
-                  ? 'profile'
-                  : hostPrimaryPageNameRef.current === 'feed'
-                    ? 'home'
-                    : 'pending'
+                mergeLiveEventsImmediatelyRef.current || isOwnPublish
+                  ? 'home'
+                  : eventMatchesProfileTimelineRequest(event)
+                    ? 'profile'
+                    : hostPrimaryPageNameRef.current === 'feed'
+                      ? 'home'
+                      : 'pending'
               liveOnNewPendingRef.current.push({ event, route })
               scheduleLiveOnNewFlush()
             },
diff --git a/src/lib/spell-feed-request-identity.test.ts b/src/lib/spell-feed-request-identity.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4e62d3b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/spell-feed-request-identity.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import {
+  computeSpellSubRequestsIdentityKey,
+  isSpellSubRequestsFilterSuperset
+} from './spell-feed-request-identity'
+import type { TFeedSubRequest } from '@/types'
+
+describe('isSpellSubRequestsFilterSuperset', () => {
+  it('detects when new shards add thread-watch filters', () => {
+    const base: TFeedSubRequest[] = [
+      {
+        urls: ['wss://relay.example/'],
+        filter: { limit: 200, '#p': ['abc'.repeat(32)] }
+      }
+    ]
+    const expanded: TFeedSubRequest[] = [
+      ...base,
+      {
+        urls: ['wss://relay.example/'],
+        filter: { kinds: [1], limit: 200, '#e': ['d'.repeat(64)] }
+      }
+    ]
+    const prevKey = computeSpellSubRequestsIdentityKey(base)
+    const nextKey = computeSpellSubRequestsIdentityKey(expanded)
+    expect(isSpellSubRequestsFilterSuperset(prevKey, nextKey)).toBe(true)
+    expect(isSpellSubRequestsFilterSuperset(nextKey, prevKey)).toBe(false)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/lib/spell-feed-request-identity.ts b/src/lib/spell-feed-request-identity.ts
index dbf1a1c9..f9ded131 100644
--- a/src/lib/spell-feed-request-identity.ts
+++ b/src/lib/spell-feed-request-identity.ts
@@ -95,3 +95,21 @@ export function isSpellSubRequestsSameFiltersDifferentRelays(
     return false
   }
 }
+
+/**
+ * True when `nextKey` keeps every prior REQ filter and adds more shards (e.g. notifications spell gains
+ * `#e` / `#a` subrequests after thread-watch lists load from relays).
+ */
+export function isSpellSubRequestsFilterSuperset(prevKey: string | null, nextKey: string): boolean {
+  if (!prevKey || prevKey === nextKey) return false
+  try {
+    type Item = { urls: string[]; filter: string }
+    const prev = JSON.parse(prevKey) as Item[]
+    const next = JSON.parse(nextKey) as Item[]
+    if (!Array.isArray(prev) || !Array.isArray(next) || next.length < prev.length) return false
+    const nextFilters = new Set(next.map((item) => item.filter))
+    return prev.every((item) => nextFilters.has(item.filter))
+  } catch {
+    return false
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/pages/primary/SpellsPage/index.tsx b/src/pages/primary/SpellsPage/index.tsx
index de0293a1..cd57187c 100644
--- a/src/pages/primary/SpellsPage/index.tsx
+++ b/src/pages/primary/SpellsPage/index.tsx
@@ -1063,8 +1063,13 @@ const SpellsPage = forwardRef<TPageRef>(function SpellsPage(
                   subRequests={subRequests}
                   feedSubscriptionKey={spellFeedSubscriptionKey}
                   hostPrimaryPageName="spells"
-                  preserveTimelineOnSubRequestsChange={spellFauxMergeTimeline}
-                  mergeTimelineWhenSubRequestFiltersMatch={spellFauxMergeTimeline}
+                  preserveTimelineOnSubRequestsChange={
+                    spellFauxMergeTimeline || selectedFauxSpell === 'notifications'
+                  }
+                  mergeTimelineWhenSubRequestFiltersMatch={
+                    spellFauxMergeTimeline || selectedFauxSpell === 'notifications'
+                  }
+                  mergeLiveEventsImmediately={selectedFauxSpell === 'notifications'}
                   showKinds={
                     selectedFauxSpell === 'notifications' ? NOTIFICATION_SPELL_KINDS : showKinds
                   }